Fuse



P. M. HENGSTENBERG'.

' FUSE. I APPLlCATl 0N FILED MAY 2.19M).

1,404,858. v Patented Jan. 31, 1922.

/7 /4 g 2/ IZIJ- /7 m /8 WITNESSES: I "15 I INVEIYNTOR 9/ MPaul/i/fengsfenber A'IITORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL HENGST'ENBERG, 0F WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WEST-INGHOUSE ELECTRIC 6'0 MANUFACTUR SYLVANIA.

ING COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF PENN- FUSE.

v To all whom it cancer n:

a device of the above-indicated character that shall be simple anddurable in construction and be composed of relatively .few parts.

Another object of my invention is to provide a multiple refillable fusedevice in which all of the component parts are so inter-related as toform a neat and compact device that may be reset, placed in, and removedfrom, its operating position, disassembled and refilled in a very simpleand expeditious manner without the use of tools of any kind.

Heretofore, certain multiple refillable fuses have severally comprised aplurality of cartridges adapted to individually enclose a single fusibleelement and have been mounted on cumbersome and expensive supportingdevices embodying relatively large numbers of parts. These devices haveusually been imp'ractical by reason of their relatively great size, ascompared with the volume of current traversing the same.

In other multiple refillable fuse devices employinga single containerfor a plurality of fusible elements, the use of springs, screws, rivetsand complicated structures has rendered them impractical from bothstructural'and operative standpoints.

In practicingmy invention, I provide a multiple refillable fuse devicethat overcomes all of the above-mentioned objections in that it embodiessubstantially a minimum number of parts of such, relation as to permitits operation, assembly, disassembly, mounting and demounting and thatmay be readily refilled without resort to tools of any kind.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side view of a fuse deviceembodying my invention; Fig; 2 is a view, partially insection and.partially in elevation, of the device Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 31, 1922.

Application filed May 2, 1918.. Serial No. 532,141.

as shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an end view. 7

partially in section and partially in elevation. of the same.

Screws 1, washers 2 and nuts 3 rigidly secureterminal clips 4: to -aninsulating supporting member 5, or any other structure, such as aswitchboard panel. The clips 4 embody curved arms 6 having insuitablewardly projecting side portions 7 and intermediate contact arms 8,hereinafter described.

A cartridge 9 comprises a hollow cylindrical casing 10 of fiber or othersuitable insulating material that is adapted to be rotatably supportedby the clips 4 and has exteriorly knurled portions 11 to permit of readyturning by hand, when in operative position between the arms 6, as shownin the drawings.

-A cylindrical insulating core member 12, having. itsexternal diameterslightly less than the internal diameter of the casing 10,

for a purpose to be 'is' disposed therein and is provided with aplurality of semi-cylindrical longitudinal grooves or recesses 13 havingenlarged portions 13" of similar shape at their ends. 'Fusible elements14 loosely" extend through the grooves 13 and are provided, at theirends, with terminal members 15 having en larged discoidal heads 16disposed in the enlarged end portions 13 of the grooves 13 and hollowcylindrical shank portions 17 that extend inwardly into thesmaller-diameter portions of the grooves. The walls of the enlargedportions 13 of .the grooves 13'- embrace-the heads 16 over slightly morethan one-half their circumferences, which relation, in conjunction witha certain amount of compressibility of the material of the core member12, permits the members 15 to be snapped into and out of curely thereinto maintain the elements 14 in the grooves 13. The elements 14 extendthrough the hollow shank portions of the members 15 to the concave facesof the heads 16 to which they are securely soldered.

Inwardly extending portions 18 at the:

ends'of the casing 10 extend between and so embrace portions of theperiphery of the heads 16 as to prevent relative rotative movementbetween the casing and the core member 12 but do not prevent the readyremoval of the latter longitudinally.

position or held se- The contact arms 8 are provided with rounded knobsor buttons 19 at the outer bent ends 20 thereof to engage the concavefaces of the terminal member heads 16 of the v have been ruptured.

elements 1a. The arms 8 are biased inwardly so that, when the cartridge9 is rotatively moved to substitute a complete ele ment 14 for one thathas been ruptured, the

knobs 19 ride easily out of the recesses in the heads 16, over theintervening spaces and into engagement with the concave faces of thenext adjacent terminal heads 16.

Apertures21, corresponding, in circumferential position, to the recessesor grooves 13, may be filled with any suitable substance, such as Waxorparaffine, for the purpose of indicating which, if any, of theelements 14 The portions 7 prevent longitudinal displacement of thecartridge 9 when-the latter is in position in the clips 1.

After the rupture of all of the elements 14, the cartridge 9 may bepulled from the arms 6 of the clips 4, an end thrust exerted upon thecore member 12 to remove the same from the casing 10 and the members 15lifted from their positions in the grooves 13. New

elements 14, including terminal members 15, may then be snapped intoposition, the core member pushed into the casing 10 and the lattersnapped back into position withm the arms 6. l

The absence of screws, bolts, rivets, springs, and other parts in thecartridge proper that comprises only two parts 10 and p 12, the factthat each of the clips 4 and its associatedportions 7 and arms 8 are ofone piece of material, the ease of operation and the ready renewal ofthe ruptured elements are features which combine to form an extremelysimple, economical and readlly operable device.

While I have shown and described a particular form of my invention, manychanges may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopethereof, as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A multiple-refillable fuse device comprising a single containingmember, a pl'ucore member disposed in the casing and having a pluralityof longitudinal grooves, a

' plurality of fusible elements disposed in said grooves and cooperatingwith the casing to prevent relative rotative movement between the casingand the core member and means for connecting said elements to a circuit.

3. A multiple-refillable fuse device comprising a hollow cylindricalinsulating casmg open at each end, an insulating core member thereinhaving a plurality of longitudlnal grooves, a plurality of fusibleelements disposed in said grooves and means engaging the outer surfaceof said casing for rotatively supporting thesame and selectivelyengaging the ends of said elements to connect the same in a circuit.

4:. A multiple-refillable fuse device comprising a single tubularcontaining member, a core member having a plurality of longitudinalrecesses therein loosely disposed in thecasing and a plurality offusible elements disposed in said recesses and cooperating with thecontaining member to prevent relative rotative movement between thelatter and the core member.'

5. A fuse device comprisinga cylindrical core member having a pluralityof longitudinal grooves, a plurality of readily removable fuse elementsdisposed in said grooves, termlinal members for said elements, anenclosing casing for said core member and said fuse elements, stationaryterminal members for supporting said casing, and for engaging theterminal members of one of said elements, the said stationary terminalmembers being adapted to be placed in a similar relation to any of theelements by rotative movement of said casing.

6. A fuse device comprising a tubular casing, a core member conformingthereto and having an outer longitudinal recess, said recess beingenlarged at the ends of said core member, a fusible element disposed insaid recess, and terminal members attached to the ends of said elementand shaped to conform to portions of said-recess.

7. In a fuse device, the combination with a plurality of fusibleelements, of a cartridge comprising two parts only for supportin andprotecting the same, and means for se eetively connecting said elementsto a circuit.

8. A multiple-refillable fuse device comprising a two-part cartridge, aplurality of fuse elements disposed therein and having exposed heads atthe transverse faces thereof, supporting means for said cartridge andmeans whereby a rotative movement of the cartridge with respect to thesupporting means positions one of said elements in a clrcuit.

9. A multiple refillable fuse comprising a cylindrical core memberhaving longitudinal grooves in its outer surface, said grooves havingenlarged portions at the ends thereof, a plurality of fusible elementseach having a portion disposed in an enlarged portion of one of saidgrooves, and acylindrical casing for the core cooperatin with theenlarged portions of the fusible e ements to prevent relative rotativemovement'between the core and the casing.

10. A multiple refillable fuse comprising a cylindrical core memberhaving longitudinal grooves in its outer surface, said grooves havingenlarged portions of slightly greater than half a circle in contour atthe ends of the core, a plurality of fusible elements each having acylindrical portion disposed in an enlarged portion of one of saidgrooves, and a cylindrical casing for the core cooperating with theenlarged portions of the fusible element to prevent relative rotativemovement between the core and the casing.

11. A fuse device comprising a support-- ing member of yieldablematerial having a longitudinal groove therein, said groove having anenlarged portion of slightlygreater than half a circle in contour and afusible element in said groove having a cylindrical portionsubstantially filling the enlarged portion of the groove, thearrangement permitting the fusible element to be firmly supported and tobe snapped into and out of position in the groove.

12. A fuse device comprising a supporting member having a longitudinalgroove therein, said-groove having an enlarged portion of slightlygreater than half a circle in contour and a fuse member in said groovehaving a cylindrical portion substantially filling the enlarged portionof the groove, one of said members being constructed of yield,- ablematerial to permit the fuse member to be firmly supported and to besnapped into and out of position in the groove.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 29th dayof April,

PAUL M. HENGSTENBERG.

